California’s polling places all close at 8 p.m. today, but anyone who got in line to vote before 8 p.m., including those in line to drop off mail-in ballots, are allowed to do so after closing time. Poll workers are required to announce that the polls are closed, and if there is a line, poll workers are instructed to go to the back of the line at 8 p.m. to signify where the last votes will be counted.
In rare cases, polling hours can be extended past 8 p.m. The last time it happened in California was 2008, when some counties ran out of ballots. During the Democratic presidential primary in March 2020, Bernie Sanders asked a federal court in Los Angeles to extend polling times to 10 p.m. after voters faced long lines. The judge denied the request because it was filed too late in the day.
— Adam Echelman
